Machine for elevating and feeding seed-cotton.



PATENTED DEO.19, 1905.

C. R. BENEFIELD. A MACHINE FOR ELEVATING AND FEEDING SEED COTTON.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.30,1905.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHAUNCEY R. BENEFIELD, OF DALLAS, TEXAS.

MACHINE FOR ELEVATING AND FEEDING SEED-COTTON.

Patented Dec. 19, 1905.

Application filed March 30, 1905- Serial No. 252.947-

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, GHAUNGEYR. BENEFIELD, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Dallas, in the county of Dallas and State of Texas,have invented new and useful Improvements in Mechanism for Elevating andFeeding Seed-Cotton, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mechanism for elevating, conveying, andfeeding seed-cotton directly to one or more gins.

The mechanism embodying the featuresof the invention is of the pneumatictype, including a cotton pipe of conduit disposed at any suitableelevation for conveying the cotton from a vehicle, bin, or other storagereceptacle and having cooperating therewith an air-pipe leading to a fanto create an elevating and conveying suction with respect to the saidcotton-pipe. The difiiculty encountered in cotton elevating andconveying mechanism of this class as heretofore constructed is that thepneumatic suction force operates directly on or opens to the cotton pipeor conduit and the effectiveness of the pneumatic pressure on the cottonis to a material extent modified or the cotton is obstructed in itsdescent or delivery to the gin or gins to such an extent as to renderthe feeding thereof disadvantageously irregular. A further and veryessential objection desired to be overcome in elevating, conveying, andfeeding mechanism of this character as heretofore ordinarily arranged isthe restricted movement of the cotton over a screen usually employed ora failure to fully follow the screen to the bottom termination thereof,and thereby reduce the traverse of the cotton with respect to the screenas it descends into the chute or vacuum.

In the improved mechanism the pneumatic pressure is so deflected orshielded from direct engagement with the screen at the point ofcommunication with the air-pipe that the cotton will be forced totraverse the entire screen length and descend into the chute or vacuumwith obvious advantages. By the improved arrangement also a much largermesh screen can be used without liability of drawing lint-cotton into itby reason of the fact that the air after passing through the screentravels downwardly as the cotton simultaneously moves in a likedirection on the opposite side of the screen and separated by the screenfrom the pneumatic or air connection. By the improved organization alsoa greater screen-surface can be added and will permit the air to pass tothe fan with agreater velocity, and, furthermore, the speed of the fancan be maintained regularly without requiring adjustment or slowing downof the same to obviate pulling the cotton into the screen. By permittingthe fan to run at a higher speed double the amount of cotton can bemoved with a fan of the same dimensions as that now ordinarily employed.

In the preferred form of the deflecting or shielding means interposedbetween the screen and the air-pipe it is intended to use a swingingboard adjustable at will to control the amount of cotton drawn into eachchute. In some instances the swinging board is made stationary.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a transverse vertical section through a ginand the improved arrangement of the cotton and air pipes to cooperatetherewith and showing an adjustable deflecting partition, board, orshield. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 without the gin, showing aslight modification in the deflecting or shielding partition located atthe point of communication between the cotton and air pipes adjacent tothe screen.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in theseveral views.

The numeral 1 designates a cotton pipe or conduit which may be of anylength and connected to one or more gins. This cotton pipe or conduit,as in ordinary devices of this class, will extend away at oppositeextremities to communicate or operate in conjunction with acotton-storage means or a vehicle or be otherwise arranged, as founddesirable and effective in cotton elevating and feeding. An air pipe orconduit 2 is arranged in communicative proximity to the cotton pipe orconduit 1 and has a depending trunk or body 3 projecting downwardly overthe point of communication between the two pipes 1 and 2. The air pipeor conduit 2 is connected to a suitable fan, and the point ofcommunication between the pipes 1 and 2 is in this instance controlledby an elongated screen 4 of a mesh considerably coarser than thatusually employed and extending upwardly over a portion of the pipe 1 anddownwardly to near the lower termination of the trunk or body 3. Thecotton pipe or conduit 1 communicates with a down-chute or feeding pipeor vacuum 5, having the usual cloth-valve 6 at an intermediate pointtherein, and at the upper part of this down-chute is a controlling-gate7 operated by a suitablelever 8 and pull-rod 9 to shut off thecottonpipe from the down-chute, the gate being hinged at its upper end,as fully shown.

In the arrangement shown by Fig. 1a partition 10 is interposed betweenthe cotton pipe or conduit 1 and the air-pipe 2 over the screen 4:, thelower extremity of this partition depending below the termination of thescreen and curved for a greater portion of its length to provide agreater distance between the screen 4 and the partition to prevent tooclose confinement of the suction force with respect to the screen. Thispartition is hinged, as at 11, and suitably connected to the lowerextremity thereof, which is free for adjustment, is a rod 12, connectingwith one arm of a bellcrank lever 13, and to the other arm of saidbell-crank lever a pull-rod 14 is attached, both rods 9 and 1A.extending downwardly over the chute 5 within convenient reachingdistance of an operator. By preference a regulating valve or gate 15 isalso located in the lower extremity of the trunk or body 3 to work inconjunction with the lower end of the partition and serve as a furthermeans of controlling the suction force with respect to the screen 1. Thevalve or gate 15 is hinged at its inner extremity and movable verticallyby an exteriorly-located pull-rod or analogous device 16.

In the modification shown by Fig. 2 the partition 17 is stationary andstraighter than the partition 10, the remaining parts of theorganization embodying the features of the invention being similar tothose illustrated by Fig. 1.

The suction force is exerted through the pipe 1 and the screen sin thedirection shown by the arrows and strikes the partition lO, which servesas a shield or deflector, and descends over the latter to the lowerextremity and then passes upwardly through the trunk or body 3 back tothe fan through the pipe or conduit 2. By a suction force it will beunderstood that the air drawn from the conduit or pipe 1 by the fanconnected to the pipe or conduit 2 is meant, and by such operation thecotton moved through the pipe 1 is caused to wash the full length of thescreen 1 and fall into the chute or vacuum-pipe 5 and from the latter befed to the gin 18. As before noted, the curved partition 10 (shown byFig. 1) forms a larger air-chamber with respect to the screen 4:, andthe retardation or restriction of the movement of the air toward havingthe air pass downwardly in close relation to the side of the screen nextto either of the partitions and force the direct outlet of the air nearthe lower end of the trunk or body 3 around the lower extremity of thepartition causes the cottonto be drawn down closely against the screenwith a beneficial wash and assurity in the delivery of the cotton intothe chute 5 below the lower end of the screen and the effect of thesuction, without liability in the least of packing the cotton againstthe screen, as in elevating and feeding mechanism wherein the aircommunication between the cotton-pipe and the airpipe is direct and notintercepted, as in the present instance. As a further means forrendering the air more effective in drawing down the cotton andpreventing too rapid exhaust at the lower outlet extremity of the screenthe latter between the same and the partition may have lapping blades orslats 19 arranged thereover, as clearly shown, and at a suitabledistance from the lower end of the screen without interfering with theadjustment of the movable form of partition shown by Fig. l.

It will be understood that changes in the proportions, dimensions, andminor details may be resorted to without departing from the spirit ofthe invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. In apneumatic cotton-feeding organization of the class set forth, thecombination of a cotton-pipe, a chute communicating with said pipe, anair-conduit applied adjacent to a portion of the chute and cotton-pipe,an elongated screen interposed between a part of theair-pipe,.cotton-pipe, and chute, and an imperforate partition in a partof the air-pipe and serving as a shield means for the screen.

2. In a cotton elevating and feeding organization of the class setforth, the combination of a cotton-pipe, a chute communicating with saidpipe, an air-cond uit applied adjacent to a portion of the chute andcotton-pipe, an elongated screen interposed between a part of theair-pipe, cotton-pipe and chute, and an adjustable imperforate partitionin a part of the air-pipe.

3. In a cotton elevating and feeding mechanism of the class set forth,the combination of a cotton-pipe having a feeding-chute communicatingtherewith, an air-pipe applied adjacent to the cotton-pipe and a portionof the chute, a screen interposed between a part of the cotton-pipe,air-pipe and the upper portion of the chute, and an intercepting meansdisposed in a part of the air-pipe and forcing the air from thecotton-pipe to pass down wardly below the lower terminal of the screenin its passage to the air-pipe.

4. In a cotton elevating and feeding means of the class set forth, thecombination of a cotton-pipe communicating with a feedingchute, anair-pipe located adjacent to the cotton-pipe at the upper part of thechute, and communicating with the latter, and an imperforate dependingintercepting means in the air-pipe for causing the air drawn into theair-pipe from the cotton-pipe to escape solely at a point below thetermination of the communicating opening between the cottonpipe andchute and the air-pipe means.

5. In a cotton elevating and feeding mechanism of the class set forth,the combination of a cotton-pipe communicating with a feeding-chute, avalve means operative to cut off communication between the cotton-pipeand chute, an air-pipe having a depending body arranged adjacent to thecotton-pipe and the upper part of the chute, an elongated screen formingthe means of communication between the cotton-pipe and upper part of thechute and air-pipe and its body, and a deflecting-partition dependingthrough a part of the airpipe and the body to shield the screen andterminating below the lower end of the latter.

6. In a cotton elevating and feeding mechanism of the class set forth,the combination of a cotton-pipe having a depending chute, an air-pipehaving a depending body arranged over a portion of the cotton-pipe andupper part of the chute, an elongated screen forming the means ofcommunication between the cotton-pipe and upper part of the chute andthe air-pipe and its body, a deflecting-partition depending throughapart of the air-pipe and its body to shield the screen,.and a valvemeans in the lowerpart of the body to cooperate with the lower end ofthe deflecting-partition.

7. In a cotton elevating and feeding mechanism of the class set forth,the combination of a cotton-pipe communicating with a feeding-chute, avalve means operative to cut off communication between the cotton-pipeand chute, an air-pipe. having a depending body arranged adjacent to thecotton-pipe and the upper part of the chute, an elongated screen formingthe means of communication between the cotton-pipe and upper part of thechute and air-pipe and its body, a deflecting-partition dependingthrough a part of the air-pipe and the body to shield the screen andterminating below the lower end of the latter, and

a valve means in the lower part of the body cooperating with the lowerend of the partition.

8. In a mechanism of the class set forth, the combination with acotton-conveying conduit and adepending feeding-chute, of a pneumaticconduit communicating with the cottonconduit and upper part of thechute, an elongated screen over the point of communication between theconduits, and a depending adjustable means in the pneumatic conduit toshield the screen, the said deflecting means being curved outwardly withrespect to the screen to increase the space between the latter and thesaid means.

9. In a device of the class set forth, a cotton conveying and feedingconduit, a pneumatic conduit communicating with the former conduit, ascreen disposed over the communicating opening between the conduits,

and an intercepting device depending downwardly through the pneumaticmeans at a distance from the screen and forming an airshield for thelatter.

10. In a mechanism of the class set forth, the combination with anelevating and feeding conduit having a chute connected therewith, of apneumatic conduit communicating with the said elevating and feedingconduit and a part of the chute, a screen extending over thecommunicating opening between the conduits and chute, a deflector withinthe pneumatic conduit and projecting below the lower terminal of thescreen and forming an air-shield for the latter, and overlapped bladesor slats arranged adjacent to the lower end of the screen within aportion of the pneumatic conduit between the said screen and lowerextremity of the deflector.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

CHAUNGEY R. BENEFIELD. Witnesses:

GEO. W. MrrcHnLL, S. W. MARsHALL.

